“Oh, you shouldn't have done that,” he chided.
Then Kel dove.
I watched him come for me, but couldn't back up fast enough. With a tight hold on my legs, he pulled me under, then pushed my head down as I tried to surface. Once. He let me up the second time. Coming up sputtering, I narrowed my eyes at him. He was bigger than me, but I had something he didn't—Water Magic. As Keltyr laughed, a geyser formed beneath him. His laughter cut off abruptly when he was tossed into the air.
I started to grin, then noticed his trajectory. “Kel!” I shouted as he fell toward land.
With a quick motion of my hand, I wrapped him in a ribbon of water and jerked him back toward me so that he fell in the middle of the pool. As he flailed to the surface, I went limp with relief.
“Son of a bitch!” Kel exclaimed as he stood up.
“Sorry. I got carried away.”
“No, that was amazing! Do it again!”
“What?” I gaped at him.
“Do you think you can send me higher next time?”
“Sure.” I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face as I launched Kel upward again, and he whooped like a little boy.
Swimming became extraordinary after that. Magic twined around us, vibrating against our skin. Water left the confinements of the pool to dance and splash, sending tiny droplets through the air to turn the forest into a glittering dream world. Air carried us so we could swim above the pool in the floating streams of water. Keltyr did backflips and carefree jumps while I laid back and let the magic carry me, enjoying every second of watching him.
Of course, he wouldn't let me watch for long. After a couple minutes, Kel grabbed my hand and drew me into his fun. I have never smiled or laughed so much, to the point where my face began to ache. The war and the weight of my responsibilities vanished. Kel and I turned into a couple of kids, playing until we wore ourselves out. Finally, I lowered us back into the pool so we could head to the bank.
“Thank you,” Keltyr said as he handed me my towel. “That was the most fun I've had in years.”
“Me too. We use magic mainly to fight, and it makes us forget that it can be fun.” I took his hand and pulled him close, then lifted my face.
Kel's grin softened as he bent his head to mine. His lips were cold and wet, and even his tongue had cooled a bit, but the kiss warmed up fast. In seconds, he was stroking me with hands and tail, and I had the muscles of his back in a tight grip. Between us, our shafts demanded more, but Keltyr pulled away before we got out of control.
“I'm hungry,” he said and went to his satchel.
As Kel pulled out a blanket, I murmured, “So am I.” I didn't add that it was for more than food.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I took a nap before my date with Rath and Xae. I may be immortal now, but that didn't mean I couldn't get tired, and my adventure with Kel had worn me out. My lovers had to wake me when it was time to leave. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then noticed what they were wearing and holding.
“We going somewhere warm?”
“I thought we could use a redo of our first date,” Xae said. “We barely got to enjoy the water. I had the kitchen staff pack our dinner.”
“Another picnic and more swimming,” I murmured.
Their expressions fell.
“Sorry.” I got out of bed. “I'm still waking up. What I meant to say was, 'Yay!'”
“We can do something else.” Xae looked at Rath.
“No, this is good. I do want to see the ocean again. And it will be at night, so that will be different.”
“Are you sure?” Rath asked. “We can go to a restaurant instead.”
“Or a tavern,” Xae added.
“No, let's go to Luvimar.” I went into our dressing room and found some shorts suitable for swimming. The pair I'd worn that afternoon were hanging in the bathroom, still wet. After I changed, I stepped out to them. “Do I need a towel?”
